


The Path of Redemption

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Morgana Redemption Arc [2]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Redemption, but she will defend her crush too, morgana just wants to play scrabble and find out what girl scout cookies are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 10:39:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16617386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Morgana is slowly learning how to be a Good Person (and also social and friendly), but that doesn't mean she can't tell James Sr. off when he shows up at the Lake house one day.Takes place in a Redeeming!Morgana arc/au/thingy.





	The Path of Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> heavily inspired by an ask over on Tumblr.

“Now, _t_ _hat_ , for sure, isn’t a word.”Barbara sits back on the couch and gives Morgana a Look.

Morgana smirks.“In my time it was.Since we’ve already concluded that the rules of the game do not specify that the words need to be in current use, it still _counts_.So…” She makes a show of tallying each of the letter pieces’ numbers.“I’m now ahead of you.By fifty points.”

Barbara grumbles, “This is the last time I play Scrabble with you.Ever.”Though, the corner of her mouth does twitch upward into a smile.

A knock interrupts their afternoon before either can say or do anything else.

Morgana tenses.Barbara always warns her ahead of time when someone will be coming to the house, to give her time to prepare, but she hadn’t said anything about visitors today.Morgana assumed there wouldn’t be.Today is Barbara’s day off.She generally spends the first half of the day asleep and the second half doing something with Morgana (like playing a game of Scrabble, which she’s epically losing).There is no need for anyone else to be here.An unpleasant feeling twists Morgana’s guts into knots.

It isn’t that she’s _scared_ of people.The very thought is absurd.

It’s just _difficult_ to talk to them.Between the difference in their vocabularies and the whole part where she isn’t allowed to threaten anyone to get what she wants, it’s nearly impossible really.

Morgana stares at the Scrabble board.Look, when you’re trying to reform from being an almost successful world conquerer, some things don’t come easily.Like people skills. _Especially_ people skills.

To be fair, the only people she’s talked to recently are Barbara, her son, and his allies, who have, without exception, started their conversations with strings of expletives, fears, and threats that if she did _anything_ to Barbara, they would hurt her in increasingly creative ways.

Morgana, the last time, restrained herself from snarkily asking if that included the various _adult_ things she wonders about doing with Barbara from time to time.She may have atrocious people skills, but even she knows when a statement is liable to getting her killed.Still, she keeps that one in reserve in case a swift end by the Trollhunter’s sword becomes a favorable future.

Anyway, people are something Morgana just doesn’t _do_.

Unless they are Barbara, or Barbara is encouraging her to try and be social again in a “Nana, Toby, and Dictatious are coming over for dinner, no you aren’t allowed to hide in the basement while they’re here, I won’t force you to say anything, but you will spend some time with us.” kind of way.

It occurs to Morgana that this could be a test.Barbara is, with the sole exception of herself of course, the cleverest person she has ever known.Recently Morgana started to improve on the whole “people skills” front, so it would make complete sense of Barbara were to change strategies.Of course!Why didn’t she consider it before?The Scrabble game was just a means in getting her guard lowered before the knock at the door.It doesn’t _actually_ mean Barbara likes spending time with her.It’s just the current tool she’s using to get what she wants.

Something in that thought feels oddly disappointing to Morgana, but she pushes aside the feeling.This is strategy.Territory she excels in.If Barbara thinks she can fool _her_ , she is so very, very wrong.Even without magic, she is still _Morgana_.The Eldritch Queen!The Pale Lady!She—

“That’s odd.”Barbara frowns.“No one’s supposed to come over today.”She shoots an apologetic look at Morgana.“I would have warned you.Stay here.It’s probably just some kids selling cookies or something.”She pauses.A grin overtakes her mouth.“I haven’t introduced you to girl scout cookies yet, have I?”

“No,” Morgana answers.She’s relieved when Barbara gets up and goes to the door before she can see her blush with _embarrassment_.

Or maybe the Scrabble game is indeed just a game, Barbara has no ulterior motive or strategy, and she just got herself worked up over nothing like a _fool_.Internally, Morgana berates herself.She’s better than this.She wraps her arms around herself anyway.No one can see and it makes her feel better.

Morgana listens for Barbara’s voice to distract herself.

“Um…okay…I…alright…”

Why is she staggering through her words?Barbara _knows_ how to talk to people.She’s rather good at it.

Something’s wrong.

Morgana shoves herself off the couch and marches over to the door.Instead of girls selling cookies, there is a man at the door.Morgana doesn’t recognize him.She looks to Barbara.The other woman’s body language tells her everything she needs to know.

She _recognizes_ that body language.It is almost the same as Claire Nunez’s the first time they saw each other from opposing sides of a Skype call, right before Claire starting yelling some, admittedly well-deserved, things at her.

She and Claire have since moved on, of course.The girl still pretty much hates her (loathes her very existence more like it), but she accepted Morgana’s apology (more or less) and allows her the benefit of the doubt (for now).On the condition that, the moment Morgana gives up her ruse and betrays them all, she gets the first swing mostly.

For the record, Morgana _isn’t_ planning on betraying them.

Forgiveness and redemption are, Morgana now knows, things that don’t happen easily.If they do indeed happen at all (she’s still not truly sure they ever will).Still, Claire has gone from tense and angry when they speak to not-quite-relaxed and mildly irritable.So, progress?

Back to the point, the way Barbara is acting around this man.It is the _same._ Which means.

This man has hurt Barbara.Badly.

“Why are you here?”The words are out of Morgana’s mouth before she can stop them.She steps protectively in front of Barbara.“What do you _want_?”She lets her fury rise.If he thinks he can just hurt Barbara again.Well.She is Morgana, the Eldritch Queen, the _Pale Lady._ Even without magic, she—

“Okay, so this is all a big misunderstanding.”The man runs a hand through his hair.“If you just let me talk to Barb, I can explain everything.I—”

“Can _apologize_ ,” Morgana cuts him off.She’s been in his shoes, she realizes.It’s not a comfortable position.Owning up to the fact you’ve done horrible things to someone in the past and offering them an apology, which they are under no obligation to actually accept.

She hesitates.Internally, her mind struggles between its desire to protect Barbara and the fact that she’s been where he is.Who is she to stop him from trying to make things right for what he’s done?

“Apologize?For what?I haven’t done anything wrong.”The man scoffs.“If Barb’s mad about how things ended between us, that’s her problem.Look, I only really came—”

“ _LIES_! _”_ Morgana snaps.That tone of voice.Those words.They weren’t the same as the ones she heard long ago, but he’s in _her_ territory now.She knows the game he’s attempting to play by heart.She will not stand for it.

Morgana steps out of the house, which forces the man to stumble off the front step.“You think you can deceive _me_?Do you know who I am?What I am capable of?What I have _done_?”

“Um, no, lady, calm down, I—!”

Morgana chuckles.“You foolish, little mortal.Most in your place would run screaming by now or else be driven mad by their fear.How your naïveté protects you, it’s almost cute.”

“Look, lady, I have no idea what you’re talking about!I just want her to give me some stuff I left behind when I—”

“When you hurt her!”Morgana snarls.“When you broke her heart!Do you feel _no remorse_ for what you’ve done?Does it not keep you up at night knowing someone _suffered_ because of your actions?Have you no capacity for _regret_?”

“Look, I think you’re overblowing things.I…”

Morgana closes her eyes and tunes out his words.A part of her wants to rush forward and attack.Throttle the life out of him until he falls limp.But that would be enough, wouldn’t it?Enough that young Tobias, who’s surely watching this altercation from across the way, would tell the others she’d finally snapped.Enough to turn them and their swords against her.Enough that she’d lose everything.

She does, in all honesty, want to know what girl scout cookies are.

Morgana opens her eyes again.“Leave.”Her voice is calm.“Now.”

“But—”

“LEAVE.”Morgana advances a step, not to attack, but to intimidate.The man trips and falls to the ground. “Unless you suddenly realize what it is you’ve done wrong, you have no place here,” she continues.

The man gets up and brushes himself off.“You’re a real bitch, you know that?”

Morgana laughs.“I’ve been called worse.”

He spits on the ground at her feet, but then turns on his heel and goes.

After watching to make sure he does indeed leave, Morgana returns to the house.Barbara is standing there, watching her.

“I—I’m sorry.”Something unpleasant clenches in Morgana’s gut.“I—you could have handled him, but I…” Morgana exhales.She’s out of words.She’s tired.She kinda wants to go curl up in bed.

Barbara approaches her and gives her a half-hearted smile.“He deserved it.”She pauses.“It means a lot that you would defend me like that too.I really appreciate it, Morgana.”

Something about the way Barbara speaks her name makes Morgana feel good inside, but she doesn’t want to admit it.Instead, she bites her lip to prevent a goofy (potentially lovesick) smile from breaking out across her face.“Come on.I just wanted to get back to beating you at Scrabble,” she mutters.

Barbara raises an eyebrow.“Uh-huh.”

“I mean it!I will _utterly destroy_ you.”

“Oh?And then who’ll you have to buy you girl scout cookies then?”

“Fair point,” Morgana grumbles.

Abruptly, Barbara wraps her arm around Morgana and pulls her in for a side hug.“I love you, my grumpy cat,” she whispers in her ear.

“I told you not to call me that,” Morgana responds, but she hopes Barbara never will stop using the pet name too.


End file.
